Chapter 257: Finding Another Way
Jiraiya used Talk no Jutsu on Konan. Ino wasn't interested in this. She left the wooden house to look for secrets in Konan's memory, such as where the Akatsuki kept their money. Was it in a bank? What was the account password?. If she found the money, she could hire Kakuzu to do something in a few days.
Jiraiya temporarily dispelled Konan's thoughts of seeking death, pulling this disciple back before she fell into the abyss and self-destruction. The three of them returned to reality. Konan's emotions had stabilized. Self-control came online, and those dark thoughts and painful memories were temporarily suppressed.
Regarding the Akatsuki's affairs, she was still unwilling to speak. Don't ask, because I don't know. Jiraiya was worried she would go to extremes, and Ino also felt that they shouldn't push too hard now.
Again, girls and mature women are different. Young Konan was easy to trick. Now? The Akatsuki, and her family-like relationship with Nagato and Yahiko, were her spiritual pillars. Betraying the Akatsuki was impossible for her.
Konan was unwilling to talk about the Akatsuki's affairs. Their current base, objectives, the number of members, and their abilities – she wouldn't say a thing. She believed that talking about these things was a betrayal of Nagato. If Ino forcefully read her brain information, she would choose death. Jiraiya didn't force her.
But Konan confirmed the existence of Madara Uchiha. "Back then, that Madara Uchiha found the three of us. At that time, Yahiko was still leading the Akatsuki...". There were only Konan, Ino, and Jiraiya in the interrogation room. Ino was there mainly for monitoring, to prevent Konan from lying. In Konan's heart, the Akatsuki and Madara Uchiha were two different things. Information about the Akatsuki could not be revealed, but information about Madara Uchiha could.
Jiraiya's expression was solemn. This was the second time he had heard this name from an Akatsuki member. The last time was in the information sent back by Itachi Uchiha to Konoha. He wanted to ask for more details.
"Is it really Madara Uchiha? Is Madara Uchiha still alive? Are you sure the person you saw was Madara Uchiha?". Jiraiya asked three questions in a row. Konan said with a relatively certain tone, "Jiraiya-sensei, we are not children anymore. We investigated this person during Yahiko's time. After that... Nagato and I also investigated. Among the Uchiha clan, besides Madara Uchiha, there are only a few powerhouses who can use the Mangekyo Sharingan. It wasn't Shisui Uchiha, nor Itachi Uchiha, and certainly not Kakashi Hatake. We could only conclude that the person wearing a mask and able to control the Nine-Tails with the Mangekyo Sharingan was Madara Uchiha".
Ino listened quietly, without any emotional fluctuations. No one in this world would have thought that Obito Uchiha, who was always the dead last, could have such great potential, and no one would investigate a dead person. One could only say that the executor found by Madara and Black Zetsu was indeed excellent.
Obito was eventually swayed by Naruto's Talk no Jutsu, and perhaps he did have the idea of returning to the light, but he had gone too far, too deep, and couldn't turn back. The Chunin vest he had longed for for so many years was only worn in his imagination; he never wore it in reality. One had to say, it was very ironic.
Obito Uchiha. What happens when you reverse his name, Obito? It becomes Tobi. It's the same in Japanese. Obito (オビト), Tobi (トビ).
Perhaps in his heart, there was a one percent, or even one-thousandth of a percent of hope, that he left a hint for the world, hoping that someone would associate the name Tobi with himself, and then defeat him, break his arms and legs, or even kill him directly, to stop his conspiracy and end this cruel nightmare. Unfortunately, besides Kakashi, no one in this world cared about a minor character like Obito Uchiha. Obito? Who's that? Never heard of him!.
No one stopped him. He could only follow the predetermined path, moving forward, all the way to the end.
Aside from Madara Uchiha, Konan was unwilling to reveal any other information. When Jiraiya asked how Yahiko died, she also remained silent. The relationship between Konan and Jiraiya was not a secret among Konoha's higher-ups. The Akatsuki, or rather, Nagato, was very confident about Konan falling into Konoha's hands. If it were the Third Hokage or the Fourth Hokage, he would definitely have sent the Pain Six Paths to retrieve her, but Jiraiya? He knew Konan would be safe in Jiraiya's hands.
After Black Zetsu stole Konan's ring, the Akatsuki did not take any further action. Konoha's higher-ups, especially the three advisors, saw that Jiraiya was in a bad mood and didn't say anything like "execute Konan" or "torture her to force a confession".
Konan got a long-term meal ticket in Konoha's prison. There were newspapers in the cell, and Jiraiya would visit her occasionally to talk. Aside from losing her freedom, there were no other losses. A week after the security level was raised, seeing that the attacker hadn't appeared, the village lowered the security level. Another week passed, and things returned to normal.
Ino saw a trace of the Rinnegan's essence in Konan's memory. After much thought, she felt she had underestimated the "not human" path. She thought that even if she gathered Asura's Chakra and Indra's Chakra, and was even more talented than Madara Uchiha, effortlessly completing the fusion of All of Creation, reaching a height that Asura and Indra didn't reach in their lifetimes, and then becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, that should be the peak.
Asura and Indra's mother was a mortal. The bloodline limit was there. If Ino were to compete head-on with these two brothers, she could absolutely not surpass the Sage of Six Paths. Naruto and Sasuke's peak was the limit, and she would have to live under the Sage's surveillance for the rest of her life. If you were needed to save the world, you would have to go. If he thought you were too dangerous, the old man would find two "heroes" to hit you with Six Paths Chibaku Tensei.
This was not the life Ino wanted. Working for Konoha Village like a tool. After finally becoming the strongest in the ninja world, becoming Six Paths Ino, she would still have to work for some geezer? What a joke!. Ino wanted to break free from the bloodline limitations of the Sage of Six Paths, or rather, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo. Then she had to find a way through the other bloodline of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, which was the descendants of Ōtsutsuki Hamura.
These descendants of Ōtsutsuki Hamura were, one might say, far away yet close at hand. Ino went to the Hyuga compound to find Hinata. There was nothing else; she just wanted to borrow her body for a while.
Hinata had just finished training and was eating rice in small mouthfuls. A small bowl of rice and a fish; that was the Hyuga young lady's lunch.
"Pfft—". Suddenly hearing Ino's request, she spat out all the rice in her mouth. A ninja, and a ninja specializing in Taijutsu, had an uncommonly large lung capacity. Hinata's small frame was full of strength, and she was eating a bit too quickly, so the rice in her mouth spread out in a fan shape and was all sprayed onto the floor in one breath.
"Ah!" she exclaimed. Ignoring her food, she knelt on the ground and started picking up the grains of rice one by one.
Ino: "...".
There were quite a lot of rice grains. If Hinata picked them up alone, it would take at least ten minutes. It wouldn't be appropriate for her to just sit there and watch, would it?.
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on Patreon. with 30 advanced chapters available on Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/GirlsLove1